My parents are planning to visit bath next week for two days. I have never been to bath but my husband and i went driving around Cotswold last year and even though we do not know where to eat or stay , I just thought it is a truly beautiful area. we did stay one night at a relais and Chateuax hotel called "manoir aux Quat Saisons " near Oxford but little disappointed, cannot compare with the chateaus we stayed in France.My father is a photographer who travels round the world to take pictures. Would appreciate if any one can tell us Bath or Cotswold if he only has 2 days, and where is the best place to stay and eat ? If he drives through Cotswold, which village is a "Not to Miss" because there are so many .Anybody stayed at " Ston Easton Park" in Bath ? Thank You

Lee, <BR>Take a look at Banbury on your map. It's about 23 miles from Oxford, 35 miles from Warwick, 30 miles from Stratford and 35 miles or less from the heart of the Cotswolds. The whole area is laced with lovely country roads. Now go to www.smoothhound.co.uk/hotels/castle2.html and take a look at The Castle Inn in Banbury. As an alternative, check out the hotels in Chipping Norton in the heart of the Cotswolds and look particularly at the Forge House at www.smoothhound.co.uk/hotels/forgehou.html Chipping Norton is equidistant from Stratford, Oxford, Warwick, Cirencester and Cheltenham. <BR> <BR>For a tour of the Cotswolds, consider the following: From Banbury or <BR>Chipping Norton, take route A361 south, first to Burford a charming little <BR>village with a number of coaching inns with a great deal of character. <BR>Continue south to Fairford and the Church of St. Mary with its stunning <BR>stained glass windows. Drive northwest from Fairford to Bibury, supposedly <BR>the loveliest town in England with its Arlington Row, early 17th century <BR>grey stone wool workers houses. Continue northwest to the Chedworth Roman Villa remains with its wall murals and mosiac floors. Travel north to <BR>Sudeley Castle, the former home of Catherine Parr just outside of the <BR>non-touristy town of Winchcombe. Continue north to Buckland, an exquisite <BR>little village, then on to Broadway and Chipping Campden, both of which are <BR>featured in all of the guide books. Drive south south east back to <BR>Chipping Norton stopping at Chastleton to visit its early 17th century <BR>Jacobean country house and formal garden. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

I have stayed in the Cotswolds for the last three years in a row. The last two we stayed at the Stanton Court Cottages in the medieval village of Stanton. I would highly recommend these cottages. Just driving through the Cotswolds is awesome and for a photographer it would be just great. Besides what wes.fowler mentioned I would also recommend Upper and Lower Slaughter a small village off the beaten path from Winchcombe called (sorry I can't remember the correct name but it was something like Guiten Power) There is also Snowshill near Broadway and another one we came upon called Coates. Morton-n-Marsh and Stow-on the Wold are 8-12 miles from Stanton. For a photographer I would highly recommend walking a bit on the Cotswold way. You will see signs all along the roads depicting the walking paths. Burton-on-Water is Touristy but the minature village was well worth the stop. Stay off the main roads and keep on the A4 roads, they are the best for scenery. We also stayed at The Unicorn in Stow and The Manor in Morton. Enjoy.

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